Jo Milne’s on a mission to bring hearing to the deaf children of the world

Since going viral in 2014, the amazing video of Jo Milne being able to hear for the first time has had millions of views. It’s helped make a star of Jo, 42, from Gateshead, so much so that there’s a film being made of her life story – in Japan!

“There’s a Japanese actress playing me, it’s incredible,” smiles Jo when she meets TV Magazine to discuss her heart-warming documentary, The Gift Of Hearing (Thursday 4 August, 11.05pm, BBC2), in which she visits Bangladesh.

Sean Elliot photography

Jo is thrilled to have been able to help so many children to hear

The programme sees Jo, with help from several organisations, distribute hearing aids to over 500 children in a makeshift clinic in the capital city of Dhaka.

“Bangladesh was one of the best experiences ever,” she says. “I couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome.”

Unsurprisingly, witnessing children hear for the first time was a highly moving experience. “It starts with the eyes,” recalls Jo, who suffers from Usher Syndrome and was able to hear properly herself after being fitted with cochlear implants. “I was looking at the children’s eyes and that was the first thing – it was like a light being switched on. They were saying: ‘What is that sound?’ It was incredibly emotional.”

Sean Elliot photography

Jo says the look in children's eyes was the first indication that they could hear

“I feel a huge connection to not just Bangladesh but the people and I’m going to try to do a second gift of hearing project. There are 1.2 million deaf children there.”

The trip also gave Jo the chance to reunite with her childhood friend, Amina Khan, who moved from Gateshead to Bangladesh when she was younger. The pair had been inseparable at school and after getting back in contact having seen Jo’s video, Amina helped plan the project before her friend's arrival in Dhaka.

“If you’re deaf and you wear this hearing aid that was like a big box back then, you stood out. I was a target for bullies,” reflects Jo. “Amina and I were brought together because we were different. Just because Amina was Asian and I was deaf, we’d get picked on. But because we had each other, we just ignored the bullies, we were in our own little bubble.”

Several organisations helped the Dhaka project to fruition, including The Hearing Fund UK, of which Jo is an ambassador. The charity was founded by Justin Osmond, son of The Osmonds singer Merrill.

“The Osmonds started singing to raise money to buy hearing aids for their two older deaf brothers,” explains Jo. “The Hearing Fund UK are very passionate about providing hearing aids all over the world and they absolutely supported me with the project. I’ve grown up knowing about The Osmonds and it’s incredible that they’re a part of my life now.”

Sean Elliot photography

Jo was helped by several organisations to set up the makeshift clinic in capital city, Dhaka

Amazingly, Jo, whose eyesight is now deteriorating due to her Usher Syndrome, was able to communicate with deaf people in Bangladesh using sign language and believes it should be taught in all British schools.

“I’m baffled why British Sign Language is not on the National Curriculum,” she says. “It could just be a few lessons when children are eight or nine years old, yet it would stick with them forever. I think it should come before learning French, Spanish or German, because it is British Sign Language. If everybody just did the basics at school, if you came across a deaf child, you could say: ‘Hello, how are you?’ It means so much to that deaf child if you’re opening up a communication and going into their world.”

Having only been able to hear properly for the last two years, Jo reveals she’s discovering something new every day.

“Having the cochlear implants was best thing I ever did, it was absolutely life-changing,” she beams. “I can hear sounds that I could never hear before. It’s like I’m a child again, having to learn all these different concepts of sound. There was a noise at my house last year and I did not know what it was. Then somebody said it was a wood pigeon on my roof! Before the implants I would never have heard anything like nature or birds.”

So what is Jo’s favourite sound?

“I love laughter!” she says. “All different kinds: deep belly laughs, naughty giggles, children laughing, and especially the laughter of a new-born baby.”